The Gist on Gut Health
Gut health has been riding the health trend wave for a few years now and its perfectly fitting as we continue to become informed about its health benefits from recent research studies. You?ve probably heard of the elements that are good for your gut but let?s take a deep dive to further understand their benefits and their role in supporting a healthy, functional gut.
Soluble + Insoluble Fiber: Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that helps to keep things moving in your gastrointestinal tract. Although all fiber serves this function, soluble fiber and insoluble fiber have a few different tasks.
Think of soluble fiber as a gel-like consistency that when combined with water, it absorbs much of the moisture. This type of fiber has been found to assist with reducing cholesterol in the body as it has the ability to bind to excess cholesterol and remove it as waste from the body. Soluble fiber can be found in apples, nuts, beans, oats, and citrus fruits.
On the other hand, insoluble fiber does not absorb much water in the gut. This type of fiber contributes to adding bulk to your stool, alleviating constipation, and keeping you full longer. It is recommended for women to consume at least 25g of fiber per day and for men between 30g and 38g of fiber per day. Good amounts of insoluble fiber can be found in wheat bran, fruit skins, and some whole grain products such as FlatOut? wraps. These wraps are quick, tasty and light on calories because of their abundance of fiber. They can be conveniently used for a sandwich wrap, pizza, or even pita chips if you?re feeling adventurous. Adding in one of these wraps to your meal can contribute to keeping you fuller longer without packing on the extra calories.
Prebiotics + Probiotics: Another piece to the puzzle for gut health are prebiotics and probiotics. I?m sure you?ve seen many juices, supplements, breads, and even cereal such as Kellogg?s new probiotic Nourish cereal with probiotics. As you can see, it?s important to keep these items a part of your regular intake. Let?s break down the difference between prebiotics and probiotics.
Prebiotics help to promote the growth of good bacteria in your gut and may also help the absorption of calcium. Secondly, probiotics are known as the good bacteria as they help to repopulate the naturally occurring bacteria that are already present in your gut. This means that prebiotics and probiotics are a match made in heaven as one promotes and the other supports.
Since bananas are a good source of prebiotics just add a banana to your Kellogg?s Nourish cereal and you?ve got a perfect balance of prebiotics and probiotics for breakfast. Not to mention, this cereal has a good source of fiber too which makes this product an excellent gut healthy food option.
This article was sponsored by Kellogg?s + Flat Out.
Ashley Martinez, MFN, RDN, LD
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
